The Preserving Local History and Educational Trust

The Preserving Local History and Educational Trust (Te Pupuri I Nga Hitori o Te Rohe Trust) is a New Zealand charitable trust focused on digital preservation. Its major project, Your Stories - Preserving Local Histories for our Tamariki, digitises newspapers published in New Zealand from 1840 to 2000 that are at risk of loss or decay.

History
The idea for the Trust grew out of a publication by Andy Fenton titled Mind the Gap: Transforming the National Newspaper Collection: A collection management approach to preserving the National Newspaper Collection. Fenton notes that despite the National Library of New Zealand’s Papers Past initiative making newspapers available online, there were about 3.3 million pages available in Papers Past in 2014, from an estimated total of 30 million possible pages. Community newspapers with local information were not being addressed.

The Trust was established as a New Zealand charitable trust in 2022, its purposes being “the advancement of education, the preservation of New Zealand’s cultural heritage, and any other matter beneficial to the community”. The mission is “to preserve the stories that have helped to shape our communities and our nation, and to make these accessible to New Zealanders both at home and abroad.” Its inaugural trustees were Anne Jackman, Jane Hill, Andy Fenton and Bruce Murray, with Dr Ross Harvey as Adviser and Board Member. Dr Stephen Hardman is the Secretary of the Trust. Professor Lachy Paterson was appointed as a Trustee to fill the position vacated on the death of Bruce Murray.

The Trust has agreements with partners including New Zealand Micrographic Services, and the National Library of New Zealand.

Activities
The Trust’s major project is Your Stories - Preserving Local Histories for Our Tamariki. Newspapers published in New Zealand from 1840 to 2000 that are at risk of loss or decay are identified and their locations ascertained, assembling as complete a run as possible. The title is then digitised and made available, either on Papers Past or on the Trust’s Recollect site.

Titles identified for digitisation under the Trust’s auspices include:

Funding has been secured by grants from Lotteries Environment & Heritage Committee and the Russell Henderson Trust, following a grant from Manatû Taonga, Ministry for Culture and Heritage which gave the impetus and confidence needed to form the Trust.
 * The Marlborough Express (issues from 1921 to 1943)
 * Waimarino Bulletin (later The Ruapehu Bulletin) (1987 to 2000)
 * Taupō Times (1928 to 2000)
 * Otago Witness pictorial supplements
 * Devonport Gazette and Greater North Shore Advocate.